Published 6:30 am, Wednesday, December 30, 2009

Texas Tech has decided to part ways with the coach who put the Red Raiders on the football map.

Texas Tech has decided to part ways with the coach who put the Red Raiders on the football map.

Photo: Geoffrey McAllister, AP

Texas Tech fires Leach, says coach is owed nothing

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Texas Tech football coach Mike Leach was fired Wednesday for what the university described as a “defiant act of insubordination” amid allegations of mistreatment of an injured player.

The university terminated Leach’s contract two days after he was suspended in the wake of an investigation into allegations he acted improperly in the treatment of sophomore wide receiver Adam James, the son of ESPN analyst Craig James. Leach, 48, is alleged to have ordered Adam James placed under guard inside dark, confined rooms on two occasions after the player said he had been told by a doctor that he could not practice because he had suffered a concussion.

The university’s statement said Leach’s recent actions, including his decision to seek reinstatement through the courts, made it impossible for him to remain coach. According to the school, Leach also refused to agree to guidelines for dealing with players outlined in a Dec. 23 letter from university chancellor Kent Hance and athletic director Gerald Myers.

“In a defiant act of insubordination, coach Leach continually refused to cooperate in a meaningful way to help resolve the complaint,” the statement said. “He also refused to obey a suspension order and instead sued Texas Tech University. Further, his contemporaneous statements made it clear that the coach’s actions against the player were meant to demean, humiliate and punish the player rather than to serve the team’s best interest.”

Leach’s attorney, Ted Liggett, said the decision by Texas Tech to suspend the coach was without merit and that a lawsuit on Leach’s behalf will be filed soon.

“We can guarantee that the fight has just begun,” Liggett told reporters in Lubbock.

Monetary dispute

At issue is whether Texas Tech will owe Leach any of the remaining money on his five-year, $12.7 million contract signed in February after negotiations that were at times fractious. According to terms of his contract, Leach was due an $800,000 bonus on Dec. 31 (today) if he were still Tech’s head coach. He also was to be paid $400,000 for each year left on the contract if terminated. But because it says Leach was fired with cause, the university does not believe it owes Leach $1.6 million for the remaining four years of the deal.

In its statement, Texas Tech said the decision to fire Leach was precipitated by his treatment of James after he was diagnosed with a concussion. Leach’s actions put James “at risk for additional injury,” the statement said.

Working as an analyst for ESPN during Wednesday night’s broadcast of the Holiday Bowl, Craig James said: “Obviously, it’s not an easy situation for anybody. It’s not one that our family nor I asked to be part of. I’ll be glad when this is behind us and our family can move forward. … I know there are a lot of upset Red Raider fans right now that just don’t understand.”

In the Dec. 23 letter, Hance and Myers expressed their concerns to Leach, saying “the school takes these allegations very seriously” and “in addition to being unacceptable, if proven, these allegations constitute a breach of your employment contract.”

The letter, obtained by the Chronicle as part of court documents filed in response to Leach’s motion for a restraining order to rejoin the team, contained several guidelines set forth by the university for how Leach was to handle student-athletes:

• “Decisions regarding whether an injury warrants suspension from practice and/or play will be determined by a physician without pressure from you or your staff.”

• “There will be no retaliation against any student who has suffered an injury.”

• “You must recognize that the players you are working with are student-athletes and that you have an obligation to treat them with respect and further to conduct yourself in a manner consistent with your position as an instructor of students.”

The court documents said university president Guy Bailey and Myers met with Leach on Saturday to discuss the incident. At that time, Texas Tech decided to suspend Leach after he refused to sign the letter or “take any steps to reach an amicable resolution to the matter.”

Leach was notified of his firing shortly before the two sides were to meet Wednesday in a Lubbock courtroom on his request for reinstatement. Texas Tech general counsel Pat Campbell handed Liggett the termination letter that said Leach’s contract was being “terminated with cause effective immediately” for breach of contract.

Leach plans a fight

Leach issued a statement late Wednesday.

“Texas Tech’s decision to deal in lies and fabricate a story which led to my firing, includes, but is not limited by, the animosity remaining from last year’s contract negotiations,” he said. “I will not tolerate such retaliatory action; additionally, we will pursue all available legal remedies.”

The decision has prompted outcries from school alumni and boosters who maintain the school rushed to judgment. But Jerry Turner, vice chairman of the university system’s board of regents, said the school has handled the matter properly.

“It certainly didn’t need to get to this point,” Turner said. “This has been a very divisive process that coach Leach has brought on the university. I will be very glad when all the facts are known because I truly believe our fan base will be united again.”

Turner said “other things” were uncovered during the investigation but declined to elaborate.

Liggett said earlier this week that Leach did not act improperly in dealing with James.

“Mike’s position is that he has done nothing wrong,” Liggett said.

Former University of Houston and current Baylor coach Art Briles is considered a leading candidate to replace Leach, a person close to the situation said on the condition of anonymity. Briles, who just completed his second season with the Bears, has strong West Texas ties as a Tech alum, former Stephenville High School coach and assistant coach with the Red Raiders.

UH athletic director Mack Rhoades said Wednesday night that Tech has not asked for permission to speak with Sumlin, whose Cougars play Air Force in today’s Armed Forces Bowl in Fort Worth.

The winningest football coach in school history, Leach compiled an 84-43 record and led the Red Raiders to a bowl in each of his 10 seasons. His best season came in 2008, when he was named Big 12 Coach of the Year after leading the Red Raiders to an 11-2 record. Texas Tech upset top-ranked Texas, the biggest win in school history, propelling the Red Raiders as high as No. 2 in the national polls.

Leach is the second Big 12 coach to be forced out this month because of alleged mistreatment of players. Kansas’ Mark Mangino resigned in the wake of allegations by former players that he made insensitive, humiliating remarks to them during games or practice.

Chronicle reporters David Barron and Steve Campbell and the Associated Press contributed to this report.